Scientiae 2013
Seated in the heart of England, the campus of the University of Warwick is a natural hub for historians in the
United Kingdom; at Scientiae 2013 it became an epicentre of global expertise on the topic of early modern
knowledge and the scientific revolution. The call for papers this year was ambitiously broad, resulting in over
80 papers being delivered on topics stretching from atomism to zoological illustrations.
Scientiae 2013 was kicked-off by Sachiko Kusukawa's keynote paper on the historiography of the visual in
early modern science. This paper was both a review of where this field of study currently stands and a call-toarms, passionately entreating historians of science to reconsider the visual. The second keynote, delivered at
the end of the second day, energised proceedings and fueled debates which I’m sure are continuing now.
Stephen Clucas held no punches in his persuasive paper on the historiography of early modern magic, and he
convincingly dispelled a number of misconceptions regarding the relationship between exorcism and
conjuration in this period.
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Scientiae 2013 was the atmosphere of friendly collaboration and
cohesiveness, best exemplified at the conference banquet, where Warwick's warm surroundings (and a
generous bar tab) facilitated a truly enjoyable evening of discussion.
Following three days of papers, the event was brought to a close with an open roundtable discussion. In this
conversation it was announced that attendees will form a society (since named the Academia Scientiae) in
order to carry-on the outstanding work from the inaugural Scientiae conference (Simon Fraser University,
Vancouver in 2012) and Scientiae 2013, with the exciting news that Scientiae 2014 is already in the pipeline
(with Vienna as the host city) and venues for 2015 are currently being considered.
Tom Colville and David Beck (History)